Based
on our previous riding success, we decided to move to the next level and plan our first overnight ride on
the tandem, which occurred over the weekend of Nov 1-2, 2014. Since we handled about 45 miles
with no problems, a 50 mile ride each way to Norfolk, CT to stay overnight at the Manor House Inn B&B should also
be no problem. Had we put some thought
into elevation gain, we would have realized, that yes, problem! Riding around the coastal regions of Connecticut and Rhode
Island is vastly different than riding into the hills of northwest Connecticut.
The
ride started great, although a bit gloomy, with some wet weather to come.
We
stopped for a hardy breakfast at the Town & Country Restaurant in
Bloomfield and a brief stop at the Bloomfield Bicycle & Repair Shop for
some additional gear.
Heading
up and over Talcott Mountain (which is only about a 250 foot climb in a mile)
the rain began to fall. It pretty much did not stop for the rest of the
day.
We
slogged on through the day, proceeding to get lost along they way (missed a
turn somewhere) adding another five miles to our ride and hills, so many hills.
We persevered (which included some walking) arriving at the Manor House Inn
just before dark after nearly seven hours of riding (what happened to that 45
mile ride in under four hours?? It must have been that over 3,500 feet of
climbing we had to do). The B&B more than made up for the effort and we had
a lovely stay.
The ride home occurred on a bright, sunny day, although the temperature had dropped to the high 30's and it was windy.
We took a different route home to take in some other sites, and came across this restaurant in a renovated train station in Collinsville, CT., so we stopped for lunch (and to warm up).
We arrived home none-the-less for wear, and while the journey was definitely more challenging than anticipated to both body and spirit, we realized that yes, we can do this. Test, passed!
